The Headless Horseman
by happylandfill
Summary: How did Kristen die? Did she drown herself? Was it drugs? Or did someone kill her?


_all credits go to Jessica Verday - the amazing author of the Hollow_

_don't be too harsh, this is my first fan fiction :}_** (well, the first one i wrote - i had to wait for a new category to be added to publish it so it's quite old...)  
**

* * *

Kristen looked up. A fair-haired figure moved suddenly in the corner of her eye and drifted swiftly through the graveyard, leaving a chilling breeze in his wake. She abruptly stood up, watching him move. He moved like a dreamlike substance, like a wisp of smoke. Somehow, he didn't look quite human, just watching him move made her shiver.

She looked around, checking if anybody else in the graveyard could see him. There was no one there – no one except an old woman watering some flowers a couple of hundred metres away. She wondered why someone would be watering flowers this late at night. Strange people round these parts. Kristen shivered for the second time, and looked for the figure again. He was gone.

Confused, she walked toward the gate with the intent to follow him, to find out exactly what was so weird about him. She walked through the gate and onto the path towards the river. She could almost sense which direction he went in by following the cold he left behind as he walked. No, _drifted_.

It was difficult to see him due to the dark, but she spotted him walking across the bridge - hands in pockets, head held low. His hair gave him away, almost glowing in the dark. Now that she could see him clearer, she noticed that his white blonde hair had a coal-black streak angling across it, contrasting sharply with the white. He was wearing a simple, black, v-neck t-shirt and dark blue jeans – not even a jumper or a coat – it was unusually cold for the middle of summer.

He must have sensed her staring at him because he whipped around and stared straight at her – but at the same time _not right at her_. It was as though he saw her, but he didn't see her – as though she was invisible, like he could see right through her.

The boy obviously didn't see her as any kind of danger, and turned away again and started back across the bridge. Kristen shivered again.

"What is with this fucking shivering?" she spoke quietly to herself, still staring at the spot where he was stood a few seconds ago.

"Oh so you _do_ speak then?" The boy was suddenly on her side of the bridge, only a few metres away. He grinned at her surprised expression, a happy, Cheshire-cat sort of grin.

"I-I wasn't talking to myself," Kristen stammered

"Of course not," The boy replied, "Name's Caspian. Caspian Crane." He held out his hand. Kristen shook it, startled by his politeness.

"…Kristen," she murmured in reply. In a way, he _was_ kind of beautiful.

"Come down to the river with me?" He asked, an irresistible smile creeping onto his lips.

"Sure," Kristen replied, still dazed. Caspian walked toward the wall of the river bank, and vaulted over it effortlessly, beckoning for her to follow with an innocent smile. She followed and clambered clumsily over it, almost falling right off it in the process, if Caspian hadn't caught her.

He led her over to a smooth lump of slate on the river's edge, took his shoes off, and sat down on it, dipping his feet nonchalantly into the water. For a while, neither of them spoke. Kristen looked up and Caspian was staring right at her, doing that thing again where he's staring right at her, but right through her.

"Stop that." she said to him, trying not to look him in the eye, afraid her eyes might betray her feelings.

"Stop what?" His mischievous smile melted her from inside out. She couldn't resist, and returned his smile, though she knew hers had nothing on his. He was so weirdly beautiful, she didn't know what to think of it. He wasn't really her type.

"That staring thing, it's freaking me out," she nudged him playfully. He did it again, then broke into a grin and laughed nervously. A few stray strands of black hair fell forward onto his face as he laughed.

"I love meeting new people, it's an adventure," he flicked the stray hairs away again. Kristen was half-wishing she'd had the guts to do it for him. "I hope I haven't made a bad first impression,"

"No, not at all, you were just unexpected I guess, it kinda shocked me," Kristen said, shaking her head and watching the river. Caspian made a sudden movement in the corner of her eye, and she looked up again, sensing it was safe to look in his eyes. He was looking at her again, but thoughtfully. His eyes were a clear, shocking green. They were truly _gorgeous_. He quickly looked down at his watch. Mmm. Rolex.

"I better go," he said hastily. "It's almost ten,"

"Oh, is it? I better get back to my mom, she's probably missing me and about to call out a search party." She rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"They soon will be." he laughed half-heartedly. She wasn't sure what to make of that, so she laughed along with him. Caspian stood up, brushed off his jeans and slipped his shoes back on. She noticed that he was wearing Keds.

"On second thoughts, I might stay here and watch the river for a bit, maybe go back to the Irving graves," she said, and instantly regretted it, seeing the look on Caspian's face.

"Don't go back through the graveyard. Promise me." He looked deadly serious, his emerald green eyes boring into hers.

"I-I won't, no, I'll just stay here." Kristen said worriedly.

"Right there, stay right there. Actually, I might come back." He gave her a quick smile, showing off his perfect teeth, and slipped off into the night again. Kristen moved her body back to face the water and stared at it, thoughts buzzing around her mind. Who was he? Why did he suddenly show up? Why did it seem like he already knew her name before she had said it?

Shivering again, Kristen stood up and shuffled around the beach in an attempt to get warm, kicking pebbles around. She picked one up – a chunk of faded green jade, and was instantly reminded of Caspian's electrifying green eyes. She threw it straight into the water and wrapped her arms around herself.

"So cold," she muttered to herself, and started picking up handfuls of rocks and throwing them into the river, watching them get sucked down under the surface, leaving trails of bubbles. Some of the luckier ones traveled further down the river, taken by the current and buffeted along the rocks. She wished she could just disappear as easy as the pebbles. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Kristen saw something move – a faint shadow. A shadow of a person with bright white hair.

She suddenly felt a presence behind her, and whipped round to see what it was. There was nothing there. Confused, she turned back toward the river. Caspian stood in front of her, his face only inches away. Kristen stepped back to try and get away, frightened by his sudden appearance. He did not look pleased.

Caspian reached for ward and brushed a hand across her face. She didn't feel anything. He did it again. Nothing. She didn't understand. He suddenly stepped back and turned away. Kristen turned to run away, only to trip and fall flat on her face. In front of Caspian, she felt like a fool. She stumbled back up and looked around for Caspian.

_What the hell is going on?_ She thought. The presence was behind her again, she knew it was Caspian. She spun around, and he was gone. It felt like there were a hundred ghosts around her, closing in for the kill. Soon enough she was spinning round in circles, trying to see what was constantly behind her. She looked forward, and saw Caspian. He was a few metres away, but she didn't care. Dazed, she stepped towards him, and felt something cold on her leg. She looked down to see the river twisting elegantly around her ankles. Something behind her was breathing. She looked around to see a giant, black, skeletal horse, its hot breath leaving clouds of steam in the cold air. It snorted and reared up on its hind legs, whinnying. She finally saw the figure on the saddle. It was a headless man. If he had eyes, they would be piercing into her skull. She was too afraid to scream.

The colossal horse fell back to the ground and snorted again, ruffling it's mane. Kristen turned, looking for Caspian. He was still on the other side of the river. He reached out a hand and mimed,

"I'm so sorry, Kristen."

The last thing Kristen Maxwell saw was a monstrous, black horse charging at her, nostrils flaring, knocking her down to the depths of the Crane River.


End file.
